Oct 18, 2024; Austin, Texas, USA; Oracle Red Bull Racing driver Sergio Perez (11) of Team Mexico walks through the track entrance before practice for the 2024 US Grand Prix at Circuit of the Americas. Mandatory Credit: Jerome Miron-Imagn Images

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Sergio Perez Earns the Backing of Former Red Bull Colleague!

Sergio Perez finds himself on the positive end of Jonathan Wheatley's comments about his career at Red Bull Racing

Formula 1 has spent an entire season with the amazing defensive manoeuvres from Sergio Perez. After his exit from Red Bull Racing, the former Mexican Formula 1 has mostly stayed away from the paddock. That doesn’t mean he has quit Formula 1 forever, as he currently looking for a way back behind the wheel of an F1 car. In fact, Sergio Perez is among the top candidates for the newest team of the pack, Cadillac F1.

Some days ago, Sergio Perez revealed that his former team regret the decision of letting him go by. A fairly successful partnership between Red Bull Racing and Sergio Perez came to an abrupt end after 4 years of racing. The Mexican driver was far better than any of his current successors at Red Bull Racing. His former Sporting Director and current team principal of Kick Sauber, Jonathan Wheatley came forward to support him in a recent dialogue.

“I Have No Doubt About His Pace”- Jonathan Wheatley Reiterates His Belief in Sergio Perez

During his time at Red Bull Racing, Jonathan Wheatley had the chance to witness Sergio Perez’s pace. The former Sporting Director of Red Bull Racing worked with Checo winning multiple races with him. It is no mystery that Sergio Perez is eyeing a return to the paddock next season.

When asked about his opinion on Checo’s return to Formula 1, Wheatley said-

“I have no doubt about his pace and his speed. It’s been natural since the beginning. He put in some tremendous drives at my former team and I don’t think it’s much of a barrier that he’s had a bit of time off between driving a Formula 1 car because when you know how to do that, you know how to do it.”

In his interview, Wheatley also highlights Sergio Perez’s work ethic in the team.

"I have no doubt about his pace" 💪

Sauber Team Principal, and former Red Bull Sporting Director, Jonathan Wheatley has praised Sergio Perez and his ability to deliver results 📝👇#F1 https://t.co/0N9E1q3bZI
— Formula 1 (@F1) July 11, 2025

According to Jonathan Wheatley, Checo pushed his colleagues to go further and improve themselves. Perez was a promoter of healthy growth in the team.

“What I really liked was he pushed me in my sporting role – pushed me very, very hard. He made me question whether I was putting every bit of effort in, not that he was criticising but he would challenge you in a positive way and I enjoyed it. I think it helped motivate me to become better at my job and I’d like to think maybe it was reciprocal and the work that we did together made him better at his.”

Checo will undoubtedly benefit from the positive assessment. After his exit from Red Bull Racing, there was a lot of negativity surrounding his performance. Now that his former colleague has doubled down on his talents, his stint at Red Bull Racing is longer a stain on his resume.

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Formula 1 2026

Jonathan Wheatley

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I work as a Writer at The Playoffs specialising in NHL, Formula 1 and Motorsports. I got into online journalism a couple of years ago. I used to be an intern for a website managing their Formula 1 content and then I served an entire year as a contractual writer.